Call for Applicants for New Cycle of Going for Growth Now Open

The call has just opened for a new cycle of Going for Growth. This will be the 11th cycle of the programme funded by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG. We asked Paula Fitzsimons, National Director of Going for Growth to tell us more:

1. What is Going for Growth?

Going for Growth is an initiative designed to support female entrepreneurs, who have been trading for at least two years and are seriously committed to growing their businesses. The programme places participants in groups led by an experienced and successful female entrepreneur. These are referred to as Lead Entrepreneurs.

The Going for Growth Lead Entrepreneurs have the practical knowledge that comes from first-hand experience of owning and managing a business that has achieved considerable growth. One of the strengths of the Going for Growth programme is the high quality of the Lead Entrepreneurs, all of whom give their time on a voluntary basis to the programme.

The round tables meet once a month for six months. A series of structured Going for Growth agendas encourage participants to focus on the strategic development of their businesses. The initiative is designed to be action and results orientated and to go beyond classroom style learning and the usual inputs of professional trainers, consultants and academics. The roundtables are not designed to be theoretical or academic, but to be based on real experience of what has or hasn’t worked in real life situations.

The award-winning Going for Growth has been recognised internationally as a best practice by the OECD, EU and the European Institute for Gender Equality. This is the 11th year of the programme. Over 600 female entrepreneurs have already taken part in Going for Growth to date and 60 new participants will be selected this year.

There is no charge for the programme, thanks to the support of Enterprise Ireland and KPMG. Going for Growth was designed and developed by Paula Fitzsimons, the National Director, and is coordinated by the Fitzsimons Consulting Team.

2. Who is it for?

To be considered for this Going for Growth programme, applicants must be a major shareholder and key influencer working full time as the owner-manager of the business. It is expected that the business will have been trading for at least two years. In exceptional cases, a business at an earlier stage will be considered. The programme is open to all sectors based within the Republic of Ireland.

3. What commitment is involved?

Participants must be available to attend the National Launch Forum on the 14th January in Dublin, when they will meet their Lead Entrepreneur and have their first roundtable session. This is a full day event. They must also be committed to attending four further roundtable meetings (Approximately 3 hours duration) and a full day celebration event in June to coincide with their final roundtable session.

4. Any advice for applicants?

5. Where can people apply?

Interested female entrepreneurs can access information and should register their interest at www.goingforgrowth.com/registration to receive an application form. The deadline for application for this year’s Going for Growth programme is Wednesday 28 November 2018.

Over to you now. Do you have experience of the Going for Growth programme? Tell us in the comments below.